anyone been to Cascais?

[ssd]

dh wants to go to Lisbon and stay somewhere near a beach

with a teen ds and myself

any advice, is there much to do etc?

It's lovely. The beaches were smallish and busy in August but it is great to go for a refreshing dip in the sea with all the locals at the end of a day sightseeing in Lisbon. There was also a sea lido, free. Nice place to wander round of its own right. Train connection Cascais/ central Portugal is easy and scenic.
I think your DH sounds sensible!

thanks small, that sounds great!

can I ask how long you stayed for and do you have any hotel recommendations?

Cascais is a beautiful place. The only hotel I have recent experience of is the Pousada in the Citadela, which is something of an acquired taste but absolutely exquisite.

There are several resort hotels along the waterfront between Cascais and Estoril, as well as aparthotels, villas, and everything in-between.

Are DS/DH into James Bond? The Estoril Casino was the inspiration for Casino Royale based on Fleming's experiences there during WW2. Quite a bit of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (the George Lazenby one nobody remembers) was filmed in Estoril at the Casino, the Palácio Estoril Hotel and further out towards the hills and the town of Guincho.

It's worth renting a car for a day or two to see some of the scenery between Guincho and Cabo da Roca and tuck into seafood plucked out of the pots under the cliff-top restaurants. Also Sintra and Mafra make good day trips by car.

A bit further afield (also by car) try the town of Peniche and the old PIDE (secret police) prison, and Lace museum, as well as the town of Óbidos.

Lisbon itself is easily reachable by train.

I've been and it's beautiful. As a pp said it's easily reachable by train

I stayed in the hotel Miragem and would definitely recommend. Lovely pool

thank you!

the Miragem hotel is gorgeous but waaay out of our price range!

We stayed here last May half term. We rarely ate in - not when we have restaurants galore plus the marina within a few minutes' walk away. The balcony view was fab - DH says it's one of his favourite holiday apartments. No pool but you overlook the local beach which is literally across the street. We ventured into Lisbon a few times via the train (v.easy 30 mins) and visited Belem & the Oceanarium plus ate at the Time Out Food Market. We visited Sintra (took the bus) and hired bikes to cycle the path to Guincho Beach. Cascais has tons of restaurants and you can walk along the promenade to the next town along, Estoril. Totally recommend renting one of the balcony flats overlooking the bay; the location could not be beaten. You need to book in advance though since they are in demand for good reason.

Obviously, we did S/C but I like the look of this Martinhal Cascais hotel herel

Sorry here

thanks so much

that hotel is lovely but way out of our prices range unfortunately

I went there last summer and loved it. Stayed in an apartment by Casa da Guia, booked through TripAdvisor or homeaway (or one of those types!)

What was the weather like in the summer?

I went in August and it was perfect. Sunny every day, bit windy on one day. It never felt too hot.

Can I ask, what are the beaches like? Is there a best one - and is the water warm in July?

The beach area is smallish and gets crowded. The sea is freezing even in August! Very nice place though.